Fire crews were called to the Emmanuel Catholic Church at 149 Franklin Street just after 9:30 a.m.

They believe lightning hit the roof around 6:30 a.m. and smoldered for a couple of hours before a maintenance man investigated.

The pastor told 2 NEWS he was holding mass this morning and first thought the smoky smell was from incense burned in a mass last night.

He says he finished this morning’s mass and sent a maintenance worker to investigate the smoky odor.

He says the maintenance man found the smoke filling the attic and called the fire department.

Investigators say there was no real fire damage, although the lightning strike did bring down a church gutter outside. Crews worked to clear the smoke to make sure the building was secure.

“Churches are notorious that if they get in the hidden areas of us not being able to keep up with it. We sent a line to the 4th floor. We ended up having about 650 feet of hose go up there. It took a lot of manpower to get it there, but it was ready if we needed it,” said District Chief Tim Rose, Dayton Fire Department.

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